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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I cannot give my full thoughts on this book as I read the majority of it over half a year ago and then managed to lose my copy of it. I recently picked it back up and finished it. So here are my slightly outdated thoughts:
Doty's story is an inspiring, wholesome and relatable one. While I may not share many of the experiences he went through, I can see myself in a lot of the thoughts his experiences give him. Serving as a sweet and moving story as well as a guide – or a suggestion of a direction – to better one's life and the world through compassion, understanding, and love, Into the Magic Shop was not only an enjoyable read, but one which themes and lessons have stuck with me (in the time where I lost it, I have often thought of the wisdom it shared) and expectedly will continue to do so.
Doty's story is an inspiring, wholesome and relatable one. While I may not share many of the experiences he went through, I can see myself in a lot of the thoughts his experiences give him. Serving as a sweet and moving story as well as a guide – or a suggestion of a direction – to better one's life and the world through compassion, understanding, and love, Into the Magic Shop was not only an enjoyable read, but one which themes and lessons have stuck with me (in the time where I lost it, I have often thought of the wisdom it shared) and expectedly will continue to do so.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Violence, Blood
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
The story of a boy who grew up in a dysfunctional family, one summer day he makes an impression on an old lady in a magic shop. This remarkable woman decides to take ot upon herself to teach him the art of self discipline and provide him with the keys to a fulfilled life.
This book is a memoir in which the author James R.Doty shares with us those keys, the lessons that helped him overcome the hardships he struggled throughout his life, the techniques of visualisation and opening the heart, and the impact they had on his life and how this unexpected journey he had in that summer helped him achieve his goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.
And this memoir is the author's way of keeping his promise to his mentor Ruth " the promise to someday tech someone what she thought him" .
This is not the neuroscience book I expectedto be reading, but rather a self help book. The lessons covered in this book : The power of meditation, relaxation, focus and positive thinking..... are not particularly new, but they are read through the author's experience.
The talk about neuroplastisity ( the part I was most interested in) was brief and superficial, so if you're here lookingfor scientificexplanations, you won'tbe finding many.
The part the caught my attention the most is the third part of the book titled " The secrets of the heart " is about kindness and compassion and their impact on the person's life and that of his surroundings .
There is an epidemic of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in the world, particularly in the West. There is an impoverishment of spirit and of connection with one another.
...........
We are wired for social connection—we evolved to be cooperative and connected with one another—and when this is cut off, we get sick.
............
Research has shown that the more connected we are socially, the longer we will live and the faster we will recover when we get ill. In truth, isolation and loneliness puts us at a greater risk for early disease and death than smoking.
..........
In other words, we get sick alone, and we get well together.
Overall if you like memoirs and moving stories about speritual jurneys, this book might be the one for you.
This book is a memoir in which the author James R.Doty shares with us those keys, the lessons that helped him overcome the hardships he struggled throughout his life, the techniques of visualisation and opening the heart, and the impact they had on his life and how this unexpected journey he had in that summer helped him achieve his goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.
And this memoir is the author's way of keeping his promise to his mentor Ruth " the promise to someday tech someone what she thought him" .
This is not the neuroscience book I expectedto be reading, but rather a self help book. The lessons covered in this book : The power of meditation, relaxation, focus and positive thinking..... are not particularly new, but they are read through the author's experience.
The talk about neuroplastisity ( the part I was most interested in) was brief and superficial, so if you're here lookingfor scientificexplanations, you won'tbe finding many.
The part the caught my attention the most is the third part of the book titled " The secrets of the heart " is about kindness and compassion and their impact on the person's life and that of his surroundings .
There is an epidemic of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in the world, particularly in the West. There is an impoverishment of spirit and of connection with one another.
...........
We are wired for social connection—we evolved to be cooperative and connected with one another—and when this is cut off, we get sick.
............
Research has shown that the more connected we are socially, the longer we will live and the faster we will recover when we get ill. In truth, isolation and loneliness puts us at a greater risk for early disease and death than smoking.
..........
In other words, we get sick alone, and we get well together.
Overall if you like memoirs and moving stories about speritual jurneys, this book might be the one for you.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcohol
2.5? Although some of this book fascinated me, especially the exploration of neuroplasticity, overall it was unsatisfying and unresolved. The jump from "I was an insanely wealthy asshole" to "after losing everything I learned my lesson and everything was immediately wonderful again!" happened way too quickly and neatly. Parts of it felt self-pitying, like when he was forced to return to being a lowly neurosurgeon after failing in business and losing millions of dollars. So sad.
I'm being overly negative here, especially because it was quite interesting at times. In short, it would have been a fantastic book written by someone else.
I'm being overly negative here, especially because it was quite interesting at times. In short, it would have been a fantastic book written by someone else.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Date Completed: 12/11/2015
Rating: 9.5/10
This book drew me in from the very first sentence: “There’s a certain sound the scalp makes when it’s being ripped off of a skull – like a large piece of Velcro tearing away from its source” (subject to change before publication in February). I mean, don’t you want to hear more from this author? I’m simultaneously disgusted and intrigued, and I’m reading something I’ve never read before. The Introduction sent chills up and down my spine.
Memoirs are a wonderful way for common people to learn about extraordinary events when written well. Sometimes people don’t have the skills to both be a surgeon and write fluidly about their life, but this is certainly not the case for Doty. He is critical of himself, but not in a judgmental way, and his writing is clear and concise. Reading this book makes you feel good about life.
Not only does he make you feel good about life, but he gives you tips and tools to conquer your fears and anxieties. He talks about science while overlapping it with social science, love, and possibly even some talk about God. He writes about all of these things as if they exist in parallel dimensions and any one of them could be correct, which lends an unbiased view of these three things together in a way I have never heard before.
Besides this, his story is quirky and humorous, but not for the light-hearted; Doty has had struggles in his life that make his story feel real and relatable. He doesn’t judge, but he listens passionately. After reading this book I feel that I have the power to be a better person. In an era when most of what we read, watch, and talk about is how to dominate or how to be bigger or better, it’s refreshing to read a story that encourages each of us to take responsibility and be a better human.
So, I encourage you to grab a copy of this book as soon as it’s published in February 2016.
You can read my review at https://showthisbooksomelovewordpresscom.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/into-the-magic-shop-james-r-doty-md/
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the author via LibraryThing.com for an honest reveiw.
Rating: 9.5/10
This book drew me in from the very first sentence: “There’s a certain sound the scalp makes when it’s being ripped off of a skull – like a large piece of Velcro tearing away from its source” (subject to change before publication in February). I mean, don’t you want to hear more from this author? I’m simultaneously disgusted and intrigued, and I’m reading something I’ve never read before. The Introduction sent chills up and down my spine.
Memoirs are a wonderful way for common people to learn about extraordinary events when written well. Sometimes people don’t have the skills to both be a surgeon and write fluidly about their life, but this is certainly not the case for Doty. He is critical of himself, but not in a judgmental way, and his writing is clear and concise. Reading this book makes you feel good about life.
Not only does he make you feel good about life, but he gives you tips and tools to conquer your fears and anxieties. He talks about science while overlapping it with social science, love, and possibly even some talk about God. He writes about all of these things as if they exist in parallel dimensions and any one of them could be correct, which lends an unbiased view of these three things together in a way I have never heard before.
Besides this, his story is quirky and humorous, but not for the light-hearted; Doty has had struggles in his life that make his story feel real and relatable. He doesn’t judge, but he listens passionately. After reading this book I feel that I have the power to be a better person. In an era when most of what we read, watch, and talk about is how to dominate or how to be bigger or better, it’s refreshing to read a story that encourages each of us to take responsibility and be a better human.
So, I encourage you to grab a copy of this book as soon as it’s published in February 2016.
You can read my review at https://showthisbooksomelovewordpresscom.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/into-the-magic-shop-james-r-doty-md/
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the author via LibraryThing.com for an honest reveiw.
Cringey at times. I don't fully appreciate the glossing over or romanticising of science. Otherwise, written well, to the point, and will bring only good. Recommend.